White Primer
by Kavi Leighanna
Summary: It's finally come time for Emily to say goodbye to the BAU.
1. Chapter 1

_This is partially because it's Paget's last season. She's slated to leave after her 10-13 episodes (or at least that was the last rumour I heard). _

_It's also AU. Right off the bat. You'll see. It'll smack you in the face. _

_Enjoy!

* * *

_

_CHAPTER 1_

"I'm leaving."

Two words. Simple. Straight forward. To the point.

And they dumped his world on it's head.

Emily Prentiss was leaving the BAU, and Aaron Hotchner wasn't quite sure what to do about it.

"You're what?"

A ghost of a smile flitted across her face, both because his shock was such a rarity and because that kind of response was so informal that the Unit Chief of the BAU would never use it. Yet here she was, standing in front of his desk, saying words she'd been thinking for months and his jaw was pretty much on the floor.

"I'm leaving, Hotch."

He found himself clearing his throat. "Leaving."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Because that was the crux of the matter. Emily, he knew, had worked damn hard to get into the BAU. She'd told him it was the only place she wanted to be. Heck, she'd let him drag her back into the fray when she'd already tendered her resignation. The BAU was just as much a part of her life and blood as it was his.

So why on earth was she leaving it all behind?

For Emily, the answer had more twists and turns than she could explain to him. For one thing, it was time. She loved the BAU, loved the challenge, loved the pressure, but the things they saw… She needed a reprieve and she knew not even a long vacation of her banked sick days was going to help. She needed to get out, to do something else. She needed a chance to remember the good things about the world and even though she was leaving her surrogate family, they weren't enough to keep her going.

"It's time," she replied, echoing her own thoughts. She offered him a smile. "I got the chance to do my dream job. How many people can say that?"

Hotch found himself swallowing thickly. After Haley left, and his life essentially started falling apart around his ears, Emily had been the one to hold him up, to push him further, to remind him he had a son and a job and people who cared, even if he didn't think so. She'd been there for him after the explosion in New York, standing beside him at Kate's funeral close enough for their arms to touch while she gripped JJ's hand on her other side. And then Foyet…

"So that's it?"

"That's it." Her voice was soft, lilting and her eyes actually sparkled.

Hotch folded his hands carefully. "What are you going to do?"

Emily pursed her lips. "Teach," she said finally. "They offered me an Academy position when I mentioned wanting to transfer. I have a friend in HR who pointed me in the right direction. My language skills and my history with the BAU speak for themselves."

He knew that. Emily had an exemplary record, and she was an agent he was very proud to say he'd had the chance to work with. But there was a big part of him that still felt a little… betrayed. "You didn't tell me."

They were friends, first and foremost. He told her things he'd told no one else, things he'd never really felt comfortable even telling Haley. She was an emergency contact for his son, a woman whom he trusted with the only thing left in his life. They _talked_ and she'd never once mentioned a new job.

"I know," she replied, but there was no apology in her voice. "Could you have let me make the decision on my own?" She chuckled. "We both know you'd be able to seduce me back into the fold. The change is a good thing. No one pressured me, no one made me decide to leave. I've seen enough, Hotch. Enough death, enough blood, enough brutality… I need a change, but I love the Bureau. The Academy job is perfect."

And she would be perfect doing it, of that he had no doubt. But that didn't mean that the idea of _not_ having her in his unit didn't bother him. There was a distinctly vulnerable part of him, the part that Emily and Jack saw, that wanted to ask her about him. How could she up and leave without a word, without a warning? He looked down at his folded hands. How could she leave him?

"And think of it this way," she'd continued, unaware of his internal turmoil. "I'm still only a few buildings over and when you guys are gone, Jessica doesn't have to watch Jack for weeks at a time. He can stay at home, even."

It wouldn't be the first time Emily watched over Jack for him and even he had to admit he kind of liked that idea. Emily, who'd lost her father at the tender age of ten, had been one of Jack's most solid rocks through the days after Haley's death. He was too young to fully comprehend what was going on, but Emily had been there for him when it didn't make sense to tell him it was going to be okay, that everything was going to turn out just fine.

His eyes came back up to meet hers, a million arguments on why she should stay flitting through her mind. But her eyes told so much. There was confidence there, a quiet contentment that told him more than words could that the decision has been truly and completely hers. There weren't as many shadows creeping behind those chocolate depths and he had to admit even some of the stress wrinkles they were all prone to were fading. But more than that, there was something else in her eyes and in her face, something deep and warm.

"You're sure?"

"I wouldn't be telling you if I wasn't sure." She leaned over his desk to rest a hand on his. "I want to do this. I _need_ to do this."

He nodded. "Does the team know?"

"No," Emily answered shaking her head. "I needed to tell you first." He deserved that much.

He flipped his palm over and vaguely registered the surprise in her eyes as he squeezed her hand. "They're going to flip."

"They'll survive," she argued. "You always do. Just don't ride the new kid too hard, okay? You guys have this tendency of making the newbie prove themselves, even when they're damn good at what they do."

That got a quirk of the lips, the closest thing he'd give to a smile in the office.

"It's not the end of the world, Hotch," she told him, squeezing his hand. "This is a good thing."

And though he didn't know it at the time, Emily would prove to be very, very right.

* * *

_I owe this to sienna, my dear friend and resident CM cheerleader who has been poking me for weeks about getting back into Criminal Minds. This is dedicated to you and all of the ideas you've thrown my way in the hopes that one sticks!_

_I have no idea about updates. Don't hold your breath for them though, okay? I don't want to be responsible for deaths because I can't get stuff up in time or as fast as I'd like. There will be more though, if that makes anyone feel better about the whole thing. It's just a matter of when, and the 'when' is going to be slow…_

_I'd appreciate your thoughts on this chapter though!_


	2. Chapter 2

_CHAPTER 2_

PROMPT: The Things They Left Behind (_Stephen King_)  
PROMPT: Of Past Regret and Future Fear (_ER_)

Jennifer Jareau prided herself on her eerily even temperament. She didn't compartmentalize like Emily and she wasn't a rock like Hotch, but she didn't let her emotions control her. Which was why the thunderous look on her face sent agents scurrying in the opposite direction as she headed to her office after the morning briefing. She slammed her door in an uncharacteristic show of the anger coursing through her. She dropped to her chair, plopping her elbows on her desk and allowing her head to fall into her open palms.

It was Emily's last day at the BAU.

And she'd neglected – no avoided – mentioning anything until the briefing.

JJ was hurt. The BAU team was family, pure and simple, and Emily was her best friend. The logistics of changing jobs, even if it was within departments, took time and patience as the rusty gears of bureaucracy turned. The blonde knew Emily would have had plenty of time and ample opportunity to mention it.

But she hadn't.

Instead, Emily had kept that important and pertinent piece of information to herself. It didn't even make her feel better that everyone other than Hotch seemed just as shocked at the revelation as she was. _Hotch_ knew, and though logistically, JJ understood that Emily needed to inform Hotch as her supervisor of the switch, JJ couldn't help feeling brushed aside.

And that, in itself, was an entirely different issue. Emily had been gravitating towards the Unit Chief more and more often. Initially, JJ had been happy about it. After New York, and with Will cementing his place in her life, JJ was glad to see Emily and Hotch's friendship had grown. Then, with the explosion, the Reaper and Haley and Jack… JJ was ecstatic that Hotch had someone to support Jack and, more importantly, Hotch himself.

But then… Then there had been a more seismic shift. JJ still considered Emily as one of her best friends and one of her most trusted confidantes, but they spent less and less time together as Hotch and Emily grew closer and then, of course, with JJ's pregnancy and Henry's birth. Still, JJ had continued to believe that if it was something big, Emily would talk to her about it. The fact that Hotch knew a week ago, twisted the knife in JJ's gut.

She had a right to be angry.

JJ glared at the knock on the door, a glare that intensified when Emily stepped in without asking permission, settling herself in the chair in front of JJ's desk. Emily's face remained impassive.

"If I'd told you weeks ago I was leaving, what would you have done?" the brunette asked calmly. When JJ simply continued to glare, pulling a file towards her, Emily continued. "You would have tried to convince me to stay, and that was _exactly_ what I wanted to avoid."

JJ kept her eyes fixed on the folder. She saw Emily lean forward, resting her elbows on her thighs.

"Jayje… I need a change. I'm losing my edge, I'm losing my objectivity." She sighed. "With everything that's happened, my professional and personal lives are starting to bleed together." They were all reasons Emily hadn't told Hotch, mostly because she couldn't see how he did it. Every child made her think of Jack. Every wife, every mother, made her think of JJ and Haley.

"I'm not sure which way is up anymore."

Now, JJ looked up, reacting to the vulnerability just audible in Emily's voice. Her own face crumpled to show the hurt and betrayal. "You didn't say _anything_."

"Because you guys would be able to convince me to stay," Emily repeated. "You, Hotch, the team… you're my best friends. You're my family. If anyone could convince me, it would be you guys." She offered her best girlfriend a tentative smile. "Jayje, I _need_ to do this."

JJ sighed, waving a hand impatiently. "Need or not," she said, blue eyes burning. "You're _leaving_. And you didn't even hint at it." She paused, then ploughed on. "We're your best friends, your _family_, and you didn't think leaving was something you needed to discuss with us? What else are you keeping from us?"

It was a sucker punch and Emily just barely managed to keep her poker face in place. She reminded herself that JJ had every reason to be upset with her, every reason to be angry. But… now she was questioning trust, friendship, belief… and it _hurt_.

Then again, maybe that had been the point.

Emily pushed herself up from the chair recognizing the need for a strategic retreat. She paused at the door, looking back with tired, almost broken eyes. "I'm not going to apologize for dropping the news on you guys because I still feel like it was the right decision to make. I will apologize for hurting you for not saying anything." She shrugged with a deprecating smile. "Maybe I was selfish, maybe it was self-preservation. I did what I felt I needed to do." She sucked in a breath. "Leaving you guys was the second hardest decision I've ever had to make. I didn't want to make it any harder."

When JJ simply focused her eyes back on her folder, Emily fought the tears choking her throat. She made her way back down the hall on autopilot, dropping into her chair. Reid and Morgan were nowhere to be found. Emily fixed her eyes on her laptop, but it didn't take her long to realize she wasn't going to be able to focus anyway. With an angry shove, she pushed away from her desk and headed for the conference room. The bay of windows overlooked the grassy track of the main campus. Emily's eyes fixed on the agents taking advantage of the beautiful fall day by running the track and lounging on the grass on break.

Had she made a mistake?

She'd been lulled into a false sense of security with Hotch's reaction, and sometimes she forgot that some of them held the 'No Profiling the Team' rule as utterly sacred. She often forgot that Hotch, and Rossi too, couldn't turn it off. As much as Hotch had been surprised by her announcement, her explanation had been enough for him, probably because he'd seen the signs. They were too close now for her poker face to fool the Unit Chief.

But JJ, Morgan, Reid and Garcia?

She sighed, curling her legs beneath her. She wasn't callous or self-righteous enough not to accept they had a right to be angry. But she'd also thought they'd understand when she explained everything. If they understood, it was buried in hunt and betrayal. She berated herself for thinking it would be easy. Leaving, no matter how she looked at it, was a big deal in a close knit unit like the BAU. Their job required so much trust to just accept someone into the fold. Leaving, losing one of their own, meant more than just a departure.

"They'll come around, Emily."

Hotch's voice made her jump and her head whipped around. He'd been leaning on the doorjamb, watching her lonely figure. He hadn't anticipated her last day to be a happy one, but he'd expected something more bittersweet than outright sad. He'd felt his heart clench as she folded in on herself.

"I didn't want to make a big deal," she said softly, turning back to her view outdoors. "I didn't think they'd be this angry." She laughed, but there was no humour in it. "I guess it was stupid."

He moved closer.

"I mean… I figured this would be the least painful way to do it, kind of like ripping off a Band-Aid," she continued, turning back to the window. "It's better than knowing for weeks and having to accept it coming, right?"

Personally, he was inclined to agree. But, of course, he'd just been through it himself. He knew _exactly_ what it felt like to be forced to count the days to her departure, knew the emotional rollercoaster that was associated with it. There was a part of him that knew this was the very best thing for her and was drawn to the idea of knowing she could be out of danger. But that was the part of him he kept firmly locked away, other than the odd twinge he allowed himself to feel because they were friends.

"JJ's so angry with me, Morgan and Reid wouldn't even stay in the BAU, and Rossi… God, I don't know."

His hand twitched with the urge to touch her. He kept it at his side. "They'll come around."

She looked up at him and he could tell she didn't believe him.

* * *

Emily held back tears as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. Reid, Garcia and Morgan had been in and out of the bullpen all afternoon. JJ had stayed locked in her office and even Rossi had essentially put a 'do not disturb' sign on his door. When she'd left the bullpen that evening, the only person she'd said goodbye too was Hotch. And he was the one she was most likely to see now that her time with the BAU was finished. Everyone else had suspiciously disappeared. Emily sniffled as she sorted through her keys. Her vision was blurring at the tears flooded her eyes. She felt abandoned and alone.

She sucked in a sob as she slid the key into the lock, too preoccupied with keeping herself together to notice that the lock didn't click. But it did open and she pushed it wider, dropping her purse and laptop bag just inside the door. She leaned her forehead against the wood as she flipped the lock and slid the chain in place. A bath, a cry, and a glass of wine sounded like the perfect way to drown her sorrows.

But as she turned around, she realized it wasn't going to be in the cards.

Streamers adorned her living room, balloons tied to her bar chairs and lamps. She blinked as her team looked back at her from her couches and overstuffed armchairs.

"Um." She cleared her throat when she realized it was choked and scratchy. "Hi."

Garcia pushed herself up using a hand on Morgan's thigh, then stood there, twisting her fingers. "We…" She glanced around then sighed as her eyes filled with echoing tears. "We couldn't just let you _leave_."

Then the tech analyst had her arms wrapped around Emily and hugged her tight, bursting into tears. Emily blinked, then let the tears flow again. Another pair of arms wrapped around them both, strong and secure. Morgan. Then came boney, thin arms and shaggy hair brushing Emily's cheek. Reid. Eventually, the little group hug broke up and Emily found herself wiping at her cheeks. She stepped into the living room, and headed for the Kleenex Hotch held out for her.

"You guys didn't have to do this."

"Yes we did," Garcia argued, dabbing at her own eyes.

"We may not be happy with how you told us," Morgan picked up, shoving a bowl off of the island into Reid's hands, "but that doesn't me we don't want to give you a proper send off."

Emily sighed as she shed her coat and offered a tentative and shaky smile to JJ and Rossi on the loveseat. "I am sorry," she said quietly, then looked down at her hands. "I thought you guys hated me."

The media liaison glanced away, then back. "You don't hate family." Then she smiled slightly. "Tell us about the new job."

* * *

_HA! You guys have no idea how long I battled with this monster. Thank "Memoir" (which hopefully will be updated soon!) which had me thinking CM. _

_I know it's only the second chapter and it took me FOREVER to update, but if you're around and you enjoyed yourself, I hope you'll review! Even if you didn't enjoy yourself, I'd appreciate it if you let me know why. _

_Thankies in advance!_


	3. Chapter 3

_CHAPTER 3_

PROMPT: The Friendship Business (_Saved by the Bell_)

Emily Prentiss was used to doing very difficult things. She'd grown up as the only child of an Ambassador that moved around Europe and Russia. She'd been raised in more foreign countries than most children went to in a lifetime. But she'd also grown up largely alone. So alone, she'd been forced into a decision at fifteen she'd never expected to face. She'd stared down some of the worst criminals. Yet nothing seemed harder than her first few weeks at the Academy.

There had always been part of her that loved to teach, but the bigger part of her, upon getting into the FBI, had focused on the BAU. The minds, the cases, the _everything_. But now, she'd accomplished that. She'd been part of the most elite unit in the Bureau and that left her uniquely qualified for the courses she'd been assigned to teach.

But, as she discovered, there was a lot she hadn't anticipated.

She didn't know there was a cliquiness to being part of the Academy. She'd never thought, even for a moment, that being one of the key players on Hotch's team would actually leave her more alienated. Sure, she was a bit awkward by nature, not quite sure how to react to people in social situations, but what she was experiencing with the Academy was something totally different.

And it wasn't the "higher-ups". The management loved her, loved her credentials, loved the idea of having someone in close reach that could fill in on some of the language courses if they needed her, but her colleagues…Well, none of them were really all that forthcoming.

She dropped down into the leather of her chair after her last class of her third week with a hefty sigh. She had no plans, none whatsoever. It wasn't necessarily surprising. Even when she worked for the BAU, if they weren't off in some city that wasn't home, she mostly spent her Friday nights at home. With all of the travelling they did, and all of the work, Emily liked having the time at home, to herself, to decompress. The violence and the death… Well, that had been the reason she'd left, hadn't it?

She dropped her head into her hands with a soft groan. She'd been so excited about the new job. It gave her a chance to get away, to experience something that didn't involve so much death and when it did, she could address it clinically and without being looked at as some sort of… reptile for being able to compartmentalize and put it all aside for her own sanity. This was something different.

She felt like her students hated her. She felt like they looked down on her. She felt like they were barely listening to two words she said. At first, she'd chalked it up to the fact that it always took time to return to school in the fall, even for her, but this seemed above and beyond. And they were now three weeks in.

Emily had been damned good at being a BAU agent, so she knew the type of students that were in her classes. She saw the ones that didn't believe she could predict behaviour. She saw the keeners that seemed to want nothing more than to talk about what it was like to work with The Aaron Hotchner and The David Rossi. It was disconcerting and irritating because she had a lesson plan. But all they wanted to hear about were her actual cases where Dave or Hotch had done something particularly heroic.

She blew out a stream of air and lifted her head long enough to reach for her mailbox. It was the little envelope she found there that was surprising. It was addressed to her, and it was yellow, but even with the colour she couldn't find it in herself to associate it with happy at the moment. She opened it swiftly and easily, withdrawing the card that came with it.

And almost immediately burst into tears.

Because there, in childish handwriting, was a note from Jack Hotchner, wishing her well and telling her to bring a good teaching. She was just wiping the tear from her eye when the knock sounded on her door. Since it was open, she tried to do a better job at collecting herself before looking up.

And nearly burst into tears – again – at the familiar and friendly face. A face which almost immediately crumpled into concern.

"Emily? Is everything okay?"

She sucked in a deep breath and nodded, waving the card his way. "You have a fantastic son, Aaron."

He smiled, his work smile, but a smile nonetheless, and stepped fully into her office. "And that's what's making you cry?"

"No," she admitted, sighing, then sniffling. "It's… been a rough couple of weeks."

His brow wrinkled, just slight enough that she could recognize it as concern. After working so long, she had each of his micro-expressions down to a science. "Is everything okay?"

She played with the corner of the card for a moment, considering. Hotch was one of her closest friends, as odd as the concept was, but she didn't want him stepping in to fix this. This was her problem, and she was going to be the one to deal with it. But, she also knew Hotch. Telling him about the problem would trigger his hero complex, his inherent need to _fix_. And yet, he was her best friend. There was an odd sense of obligation to tell him.

"It's just… an adjustment," she answered evasively. "It's a change."

"A change." The tone of his voice told her that he didn't believe her, that he knew she was hiding something.

Emily sighed, almost in exasperation. "The Academy's a little cliquey, okay?" she finally answered. "It's like starting at the BAU all over again, though this time it's not about trust is about the assumption that I think I'm better than everyone because my mother's an ambassador, because I come from your team, because I'm a profiler."

And that was the hole in the dam. He took a seat in front of her desk as she let it all out, as she vented about eating lunch in her office – alone – and the problems she was getting from her students. She ranted about how she felt like a leper, how annoying it was to walk through the hall and virtually have people avoid her. She rarely talked to any of her colleagues. She was in tears by the time she finished and she wiped at them in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," she said when she managed to get it all under control. "I shouldn't have…"

"You should have," Hotch interrupted. There was fire in his eyes, but his face was outwardly concerned. Had he expected, even for a moment, that the Academy would be so discriminatory, he never would have encouraged her to take the job. He'd taught at the Academy, more than once, and Gideon had turned to teaching while recovering from PTSD. But this? This was unheard of. At least to him. "Even if you're not a member of my team anymore, I thought you knew we weren't going to just abandon you."

She almost winced. She hadn't meant to hold back from them, really. They'd been on a case for two weeks and, knowing the way cases worked, she'd refrained from contacting them. She didn't want to interrupt, not with problems that were nothing compared to whatever they were facing. "You guys were… away."

"Emily, how many times have we dealt with personal things while on a case?" he pointed out. He paused for a moment, then said, "Jack misses you. How about you come over for dinner?"

"Hotch, no. You guys just got home." Yesterday. "And I couldn't intrude." Didn't want to bring her depression on Jack. "Really, I'm going to be fine." She was going to go drown her depression in a tearjerker and a glass of wine.

But Hotch was already shaking his head. "It really wasn't a question."

Hotch kept an eye on her as she packed up her office, as they walked out together and as they drove to Jessica's house to retrieve his son. She looked exhausted, looked like there was a bit of a permanent frown in the corners of her mouth and he hated that she'd been battling this. He didn't like that look at all. But he had faith in his little six-year-old son. The boy had an uncanny ability of cheering up anyone he came into contact with. He was the light in Hotch's life and he was more than willing to share Jack's healing powers if it would fix the wrinkle in her brow.

When he pulled to a stop and put the car in park, he turned to her and cocked his head. "Come get him."

Emily shook her head. She still wasn't totally sure where she stood with Jessica. There was a part of her that felt that the woman looked at her like a homewrecker, looked at her as at least part of the reason her sister's marriage fell apart. Emily could understand that theory, knew that the BAU took up so much time that it probably wasn't far from the truth to say that the agents were married to their jobs. Plus, it was odd enough that Hotch was driving her home, let alone coming with Hotch to pick up Jack. The last thing she wanted was anyone getting the wrong idea.

So Hotch jogged up the lawn and seemed totally unsurprised when the door slammed open and his son came racing down the grass. Emily smiled at the picture of father and son, Jack obviously nattering on and on about his day and it didn't even look like the little body perched on his father's hip was taking a breath. Emily felt some of the stress lift, just watching his happy little face.

Hotch and Jessica exchanged words and Jack collected his backpack and then they were headed her way. Jack's eyes lit up when he caught sight of her in the window and he raced over to the car, trying with all his little might to open the back seat. Hotch was close on his heels however, and he helped Jack open the door.

"Em'ly!"

"Why hello Mr Jack," Emily replied with a smile there was no way she could hold in. It was no surprise that Hotch toted Jack as his sanity. It was difficult to feel depressed or upset with such a happy little boy.

Of course, he wasn't always happy. He was only six, and still kind of adjusting to the death of his mother. Emily had been around for some of the more violent tantrums. She knew Jack wasn't completely settled about his mother's death and she probably would have been terrified if he was, but most of the time, he was happy. And his happiness was contagious.

"Daddy! Is Em'ly coming for eats?"

"Dinner," Hotch said with a chuckle that was very relaxed. He liked days like this, days where Emily and Jack were making noise in his apartment. It felt like home in so many ways and it was so important to him that Jack have influences like Emily in his life. With the death of her father when she was young and how close Emily had been to her dad, she was integral in helping Jack get through Haley's murder.

Jack turned his little eyes to Emily and she caught the adorable dark eyes in the rearview mirror. "Are you Em'ly?"

"Am I staying for dinner?" Emily inquired innocently. "Well, your dad invited me, but only if you want me to."

"Daddy! Em'ly's staying for dinner! Does that mean you can watch Buzz and Woody with me?" Jack asked.

Hotch shot Emily a sympathetic look. Jack's obsession with _Toy Story_ had started when Jessica had taken him to see the third instalment of the series and the six-year-old hadn't let up. Hotch had seen the movie almost enough to say it line for line. Emily had also seen it more times than she really wanted to count, but she shot a smile over her shoulder at Jack.

"I think I can do that," she allowed, glad that Jack was too innocent to see the pain in her gaze.

"Yay!"

And how was she supposed to battle with that? Emily sighed, relaxing into her seat and shooting a small smile at Hotch when he looked over. The last three weeks were fading with the smile of a good friend and his smiling son. The weight on her shoulders lifted slightly and she closed her eyes as she settled into the seat.

Three hours later, she was in a similar pose on Hotch's couch, now fed and with Jack cuddled on her lap. _Toy Story 2_ had just finished on the television and Emily was glad to feel Jack inhaling and exhaling rhythmically against her. Her arms were wrapped around him, cuddling him tight and, if she was honest, it was the best she'd felt since she left the BAU.

"He's good like that."

She looked up to see Hotch holding the glass of water he'd offered her when the credits of the movie started rolling. She accepted it with the hand not supporting Jack's body. She wasn't surprised Hotch could tell that Jack had made her feel even just that little bit lighter. Heck, the whole night had.

She shifted with Jack and offered him a smile. "Thanks for letting me in on your cure-all," she replied, her smile softening as she looked down at Jack's dark head. "I needed it."

"It'll get better," he said, though there was something in his voice that didn't sound sure.

Emily swallowed. "And if it's not?"

Hotch reached over, squeezing the arm wrapped around Jack. "You _always_ have us."

She snuggled Jack just a little bit closer. Hotch wasn't much for reaching out, but when he did, he always did it with the utmost sincerity. She had no doubt that if she ever needed someone, needed a place, needed human contact, she could call him and he would be there. She offered him a smile that said more than words could. Then she turned her gaze back to Jack, brushing a hand over his head.

"I should probably get going," she said quietly. She watched him stand and helped him shift the sleeping boy into his father's arms. She gathered her things as Hotch tucked Jack into bed and he smiled at her when he returned.

She reached out and squeezed his arm. "Thank you. For tonight."

"No thank you necessary," he replied as her hand lingered, then fell away. "I'm just glad we could help."

Emily smiled as he held the door open for her and slipped out. He called her back, just before she hit the front door. She looked up quizzically.

"Jack wants to go to the zoo tomorrow," he told her. "Come with us."

She shook her head. "I don't want to cut into the little time you have with him."

"You're not cutting into my time, Emily. I'm inviting you."

The smile she shot him was wide and bright, both wider and brighter than any smile she'd offered him that night. "I'd like that."

"Good," he said, then he smiled. "Goodnight Emily."

Emily echoed his smile. "Goodnight Hotch."

She all but skipped down his front stairs. Suddenly, her weekend, her week, her month, was looking up. All because of a little boy and the hidden depths in his father.

* * *

_I don't think we're going to see the day at the zoo. We'll see. But probably not. Having said that, with my muse, anything is possible. It's been on crack recently and going all haywire. One minute, I'm writing Criminal Minds, the next, it's NCIS LA. I think my muse needs to go to rehab but the convincing part's been difficult. _

_Good news though! For those of you who are following Memoir, we're just putting the finishing touches on the chapter and then it'll be up. So look for it in the next week!_

_Reviews are love. But you guys know that. _


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